Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-01-24

u
| over the brood of chick ems around and
around, now almost down to the flock,
then back again, until at last 1t drops
and seizes its prey. There is a hawk ready
10 pounCe on every dove. and that is the rea-
son that these doves come to-day TO the win
dows-they want shelter IN the grace Of
GOD and in Christian associations. They say:
III there is any power in your prayers, lot
me have them; If there be any virtue in good
counsels give them to me; if there be any
thing eleyatinE IN Christian associations let
me feel their influence" where thou
dwelest viii dwell. Thy people sh&!i nc
my people, thy God my cod" Open your
doors ., church of Gol! snd let them come
in "a "doyes TO their windows"
Christ Ia tho only shelter Of the soul in
trouble. What can You do without Him
when sorrow comes? Perhaps at first You
take vaIerIan to quiet your nerves, or alcohol
to revive your spirits, buJ have you found
anything in rhe medicines or physical stimu-
lants sufficient? Perhaps in the excitement
of the money market, or IN the merry making
OF the club YOU nave sought relief. This
world has no basam for wounded soul, no
shelter for bruised spirit. The dove in the
time Of the delugc few north, and IL was all
water, in which were tossed the carcasses of
the dead world and the first solid thing the
doves feet touched was the window OF the
ark. So the soul in trouble goes out in one
direction and finds nothing substantial to rest
upon, and in another direction and every
whittier but there Is no rest for the dove save
the ark.
'SuDStdntldl comfort VIII not grow
In Natures barren soil;
All we can boast, till Christ we know,
Is vanity ana toll.
But where the Lord has planted grace,
And made His glories known,
There fruits of heavenly joys are found;
Ana there alone"'
You lost parent; some one said that it was
in the regular course of nature that your faith
er should expire. Did that comfort youP You
lost child; somebody said if that child had
NtaFlt Il MI
that comfort your You lost your property:
they told you that riches We're very uncertain.
Gou knew that before. Gou were sick: they
explained to you that the difficulty was in the
secretions or III the sciatic nerve. Did that
soothe your O, the despiCable quackery of
earthly comfort! But when Christ comes to
the soul and says: II took your estate be-
cause | wanted to give YOU more valuable
treasures; l made you eck in body that
your soul might be brought up to eternal
health; took your loved ones away
because | have a better and brighter
place for them in my own presence" then the
wound heals, then the tears dry OF the face,
then God has become the everlasting portion
of the soul. ., the alrIs full of black wings and
ravens beaks. They Join their wings of dark
ness until they shut out the light OF the sun.
They have fatteDed upon the carcasses of
men. Their clangor Is horrible to the ear.
| Trouble and disease and death coming down
on the wind. No wonder the souls have come
for shelter "as doves to their windows"
What does the pigeon in the coop care Tor the
hawk in the SKY?
Safe In Christ, safe forever The mountains
may depart and the hills be removed, but Thy
loving kindness shall never faIl.
Again; These souls, like doves. fly home.
Most of the winged denizCns have no home:
now they are at the north and now at the
south. as the climate indicates. This year
nest in one tree, next year a nest I'm another
tree. The golden orioe remains but three
months of the year IN Germany and Is then
gone The linnet of Norway crosses the
To find frnun ba inf
blast. The heron, the gOld1nch and the gross
beak are mi gratory. The cranes call each other
together several days before going, choose
their leader, arrange themselves in two lines,
forming an angle, and are gone. But the
pigeons alluded to in the text, summer and
winter and always have a home in the dove
cot? And so Christ is the home OF those who
come TO him- lie is warm home; they rest
under the Feathers Of the Almighty" Christ
tells us that chickens find not q warmer place
under the wing of the hen Than we In Him.
II is a safe home; our fortunes may go down
ten degrees below Zero the SHOWS of trouble
may fall, the winds of persecution may howl
the jackals of death may stalk f0rth-all is
well, for great peace have they who trust in
God" From this home we shall never be
driven out. The sheriff m ay sell us out Of our
earthly house, or the fires may burn it down.
or the winds carry 1t away, but that home
shall always be ours
Men talk as though starting for God were
putting out on trackless moor; or wander
ing through the sands OF great Sahara. No,
no. it Is coming TO tn warmest and best Of
homes, "as u doves to the windows
Again: These souls o-day gathering for
membership are like doves because they
come in flocks. The buzzard. with dripping
beak huttering up from the carrion, is alone.
You occasionally look up against the wniry
sky and see solitary bird wingng past.
But doves or pigeons are in hocks; by scores
and hundreds do they fly. You hear the loud
whirr OF their wings as they pass. So to-day
we zee great flock coming into the Kingdom.
1t is not straggler trying TO catch up with
his regiment; ii IS a solid phaanx, taking the
kingdom. 1t 10 not drop on your hand or
cheek that leaves you ID doubt whether 1t
rains or not, but the rush Of an unmlstakable
shower. IL IS not the raklng up of
the geanings, but tossing up OF
the fun sheaves INTO the NOW
''as doves TO their windows" There are all
ages in this flock. Some Of them are young,
and the very first use they make OF their wings
is to fly into the kingdom. Some OF them are
old, and ther wings nave been torn with shot
and rullled with The tempest, and they had
almost dropped into the sea. Some Of them
have been making very crooked course.
They Dipped their wings in fountains Of sin,
they wandered near the gulf OF perditiOu: but
they saw their danger-thcy changed their
course. They have come at last, "as doves TO
the windOu b"
thank God that / have lived 10 see tins
day; to my dying hour l shall not cease %
praise HIM for tins manifestation OF Hs
grace. Praise to Hin. sun and moon and
stars! Praise Him, church mill ant on earth!
fFdl5e HIM fuufCH triumphant lu
heaven! Let the church beneath raise M its
right hand Of graduation and the church
above reach down It's right hand Of joy, and
while the two are lasped let the ders Of the
churcn put to our ilps the wine OF earthly Gel
ebrHtion, and the cup-bearers Of heaven hring
up out Of the vaults of eternity the oldest
wine, prepared by HIM who trOd the wine
press alone, and SO let two worlds aJ once
keep jubilee!
Who are those who come to us to-day?
Many are young. Until Robert Ranes came
there was no organized effort for saving the
young. We spent all OF our strength trying
20 bend old trees when little pressure would
have been sufficient for the saplinR. We let
men 20 down TO the very bottom of sin before
We try TO lift them up. IL la great deal
easier TO keep train On the track than 70 get
il on when 10 Is on. The experienced reins-
m8h checks the nery stecd at tho Arsi Jump,
for when he gets full swing the sNifJ hoUis
clicking Are from the pave enent, and the BIT
between his teeth, ms momentum n irres g.
ible. II Is said that the young must be
allowed to SOW their "wild outs." / have
noticed that those who sow their Wild oats
seldom try 70 raise any other kind OF crop.
| went through tho heavieat snOwstorm I
have ever known 70 see dying girl. Her
cheek on the pillow was white a. the snow on
the easement. Her large round eye had not
lost any OF iis lustre. Loved ones stood all
around the bed trying 10 hold her back. Her
mother could not give her up; her father
could not give her up. and one nearer 20 her
than either father or mother was frantic with
grief. | said: Fanny. how do you feelY"
''O," she saws, "happy happy, Mr.. ralmage;
tell all the young folks that religion will make
them happy" As came out Of the room,
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